A Different Kind of Street Ministry: Local leader Richard Parker asked Hunting Ridge Presbyterian Church to consider providing a peaceful presence in his Baltimore neighborhood. Congregation members were eager to find a way to be engaged in the community. Pastor Deborah McEachran and others gathered every Friday at a street corner known for drug dealing and gang-related crime. The group stood on the corner for a few hours to reclaim it as a peaceful space. At first no one knew what to do during those hours. But then members of the group began talking with neighborhood residents, and got to know the business owners. Someone brought chess and checkers, and soon neighbors were sitting down and playing games. When the weather turned cold, business owners ran power cords out to the sidewalk so the church group could provide hot coffee. And when the weather grew warmer, Hunting Ridge members put flower planters on the corners. And slowly they established their presence.
